


Another Dawn (RE-UPLOAD)

by GonerLoner



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Backstory, Demons, Drama, Elves, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Kim Seungmin & Yang Jeongin | I.N are Siblings, Multi, Original Character(s), Past Torture, Platonic Relationships, Somewhat, Urban Fantasy, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29658621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GonerLoner/pseuds/GonerLoner
Summary: A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts and when his eyes opened, they crossed with Minho’s. The Rebellion leader smiled gently, comforting. He had probably seen the distress on Chan’s face. “Don’t worry. I’m sure the search will calm down in a few weeks and then, you can come back again.” His hand on Chan’s shoulder squeezed and he took a glance at Alex who had started to talk with Seungmin. “Until then… you’re safe with us. I promise.”Chan worried his lip between his teeth and nodded slowly, placing his hand above Minho’s. “I… thank you.”2087 - the future has arrived.Neo Liberta, a city where futuristic glamour meets poverty, is the center of the world, reigned by the Kurosawa Government. Whether you are Demon, human, or Unbound, can change where in the city you live - and how you're seen by other people.Bang Chan, owner of the café 'Haven' in the Inner Circle, lives a peaceful life - but everything changes when a young member of the Rebellion enters his café - and a journey starts where Chan gathers new friends, skills... and has to save the world from something that's bigger than all of them.
Relationships: Bang Chan & Everyone, Bang Chan & Kim Seungmin, Bang Chan & Lee Felix, Bang Chan & OC, Bang Chan & Seo Changbin, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix, Kim Seungmin & Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Felix & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix (Stray Kids) & Everyone, Seo Changbin & Everyone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue - The Awakening of Lilith

**Author's Note:**

> Hellu hello and welcome!
> 
> I have decided to post this story again since I've made- a few changes. I'm editing each chapter as I go, hopefully I'll be able to continue with writing now and not let it go for so long without doing anything aah. After all, I still have so much time here in England.
> 
> This story was born from listening to too much cyberpunk and watching too many lets plays for Final Fantasy VII Remake. Though this is NOT an FF7R AU - it's inspired, yes, but the storyline and the development of the places and most of the characters (well safe for SKZ and their names) are mine.
> 
> Beware that this story deals with heavy themes - I will post trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter. At any point, if the descriptions/warnings are too much for you, I understand if you don't keep reading - your health and safety come first.
> 
> Now, for those that I haven't scared away - enjoy the prologue of this monster story!

**1.000 years ago**

Thick, oily, black smoke rose on the horizon, darkening the sky.

“Your Majesty!” 

The door to the balcony banged open, and loud footsteps rushed outside, where the king was standing. “The demons have overrun and destroyed another twelve of the human villages- and they are now running towards the next town!” Liz, a member of the king’s personal guard, stood breathing heavily as he turned around, her salute sharp even though her eyes were wide and the plates of her armor were shaking with her trembling. She swallowed. “The… General Cadoc and his men are waiting for you in the main hall, Your Majesty.”

“How many?” he asked, his right hand tightening around the railing of the balcony.

“Two hundred soldiers, Your Majesty. They… it is said they came out of the dark, without any warning.” Liz took a deep breath, her eyes flitting around nervously.

The king sighed heavily, standing straighter. “I will join the humans. Make sure the soldiers of the first company are ready to leave the palace - and I want two of the dragon-horse squadrons to go with them.” 

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Liz bowed then disappeared inside the palace again, her heavy footsteps echoing.

While he was walking through the white and blue halls of his palace to meet General Cadoc and his men, the king was alone with his racing thoughts.

King Nardal the Merciful, second king of the Elves, remembered a time when Terra had been a peaceful place. Its people, humans, and elves had lived side by side, united in harmony and the presence of _Mater_ , Terra’s consciousness. A time when Essence, Terra’s lifeblood, had been pure and untainted, flowing freely in the air in a sparkling, blue glowing stream of energy.

That time was long gone.

The demons had come out of the nothing, weak creatures that were easy to get rid of at first. But then, they came back with an army, sent to eradicate both humans and elves from the face of Terra.

Nardal reached the main hall of the palace and stopped, dread sinking to his stomach. “General Cadoc?”

The General turned as Nardal approached, straightening. His armor was dented and splattered with blood, grime, and ash; he held his helmet under his arm as he bowed shallowly together with the other men. “Your Majesty. It’s in great despair that we come to seek your support.” His wrinkly face was set in stone with thick, furrowed brows, his voice rough and grating from the battlefield.

Nardal waved for them to stand again, a frown creasing his forehead. “So I have been told. How many have been lost? Where are the demons now?”

Cadoc stood and eyed him, his jaw clenching. “Twelve villages. A third of all of my forces. They are growing each second that we speak. If we don’t get help from the elves soon, Your Majesty, mankind will be eradicated in a matter of days. We’re not as high in numbers as you elves are, and neither are we favored by _Mater_ herself.” Cadoc stepped forward. “Those monsters… they enjoy slaughtering us. And the worst thing is, even if we’re slaughtering them every way we can to pay them back for what they took from us… ” 

His voice sank into a whisper, his grey eyes staring into Nardal’s. “They _laugh_ as we kill them.”

Nardal’s blood ran cold but his voice stayed even. “Do not worry, General. The dragon-horse forces are leaving the stables as we speak - they will join your army.” He placed a heavy hand on the General’s shoulder. “We will not let this slaughter continue.”

“Father?”

Nardal raised a hand, stopping the servant who held the breastplate of his armor. The servant stepped back with a bow and Nardal turned around, looking towards the heavy wooden door of his chambers. 

“He asked to see you for one last time…” Queen Alix explained with a sigh, smoothing down the wide skirts of her dress. She entered the room, on her hand their son, Prince Yongbok. 

Nardal’s face softened and he crouched, opening his arms to catch the prince as he ran towards him. Yongbok closed his short, thin arms around his neck and hid his face in his father’s neck, no care left for the metal that already covered parts of Nardal’s body.

“What troubles you, Yongbok?” Nardal asked softly, rising from his crouch.

“I see the beasts…what they do... I can hear _Her_ screams,” Yongbok whispered, his black hair brushing against Nardal’s ear. For his age, Yongbok was small, frail. His wings hadn’t shown yet but they rarely did before an elf’s hundredth birthday.

Nardal closed his eyes, his blood running cold. Without answering, he pressed a kiss to Yongbok’s hair and listened to Queen Alix stepping closer. Her dress rustled quietly in the silence that covered the richly decorated royal chambers. 

“Nothing will happen to you here, Yongbok. You and your Mother are safe here and it won’t take long until I will come back.” He pulled back and gently raised Yongbok’s head so he could look into his big, red eyes. “I want you to stay inside the guarded areas of the castle, alright? Stay close to your mother.” He smiled with all the love he had to give. “And nothing will happen to you.” Carefully, he placed Yongbok on the ground again, ruffling through his hair as he hugged Nardal’s legs with a pout.

He turned to Alix, his chest aching at the worry displayed in her slim face. With his free hand, he reached out to pull her closer, gently tucking a strand of her long black hair behind her ears before leaning in for a kiss. “I need you to keep the women and children safe,” he whispered against her lips.

Alix stiffened but he continued before she could say anything. “I do not know when I will come back - I need you to be prepared to defend this castle and its inhabitants.”

“And what will happen to you? Your Kingdom needs you to come back safely.” Her voice was quiet and urgent, her ruby red eyes wide.

Nardal smiled with as much confidence as he could. “Do not worry about me, love. I might not know when, but I will come back.”

Time stretched, turning the evening’s battle into a two-month war. Demons stood strong against the combined forces of elves and men alike, not breaking once even though both armies made considerable dents into their numbers.

Nardal thought they had made progress, thought that this battlefield would be the last.

Until the day when a messenger from the front lines reached him and the human generals.

“There’s a new monster!” The man was panicked, white as a sheet underneath all the grime. He stumbled, holding himself up against the tent poles. “It- so many dropped dead as it appeared on the battlefield, Your Majesty, and there- there was Essence, but it was- whoever was touched by it dropped dead in an instant!”

Nardal’s blood ran cold and he followed the man outside his tent.

“Oh, merciful _Mater,_ ” one of the generals whispered, falling to his knees.

Black clouds were drifting through a darkened, bloody sky, thick, oily smoke rising from the camps of the demons. They were fighting against the armies of both humans and elves - but now… something else had risen at the horizon.

A new beast, towering even above the tallest demons, was walking through the battlefield. Its arms - or tentacles, Nardal wasn’t quite sure - were raised and whenever it touched a human or elven soldier or even came close to them, they would fall.

Horror froze Nardal’s blood to ice.

“Is this it?” Cadoc whispered, wiping across his brow but only managing to spread the blood and grime further over his face. His eyes were stark white on his face. “Is this- is this _Lilith,_ the Empress of Demons?”

“Don’t mention _Her_ name,” one of the other generals hissed, drawing back. 

Nardal looked to the side as another messenger approached them, this time one of his own soldiers. Quickly, the king moved to catch the man before he collapsed to his knees.

“My king,” he gasped, his fingers curling around Nardal’s arms. Red blood was soiling his armor, trailing down his sides. 

“What have you seen, soldier? What is this creature?”

“It’s- it’s- _Her_. Their- Empress. Everything, every bit of space around her is tainted, so wrong, so unbelievingly twisted-” He gasped, nails scratching at his neck until blood stained his fingertips. “Her- the Essence, my king- it’s so twisted- so wrong-” 

Before Nardal could ask him what he meant, the man seized up, shaking uncontrollably before going limp, his eyes rolling back.

Nardal swallowed and carefully lowered the body to the ground. “There has to be a way to fight this beast,” he whispered, bewildered.

He wasn’t about to give up now.

About a week later, humans and elves had again lost so many more to the greediness and destructiveness of the Empress and _Her_ armies and finally, _Mater_ seemed to hear their prayers. She sent WEAPON, her creature of defense, that should aid the armies of elves and humans to victory.

The huge dragon wasn’t affected by the powers of the demons, nor did he seem to react to the aura of the Empress - he let his fire reign down on them all the same, burning thousands of them to ash in the span of a second and crying out.

Nardal was relieved. He couldn’t feel joy anymore, feeling betrayed by _Mater_ that it had taken her so long to react to the threat of the Empress when it was _her_ people who were fighting against _Her_ when it was _her_ people who were on the line. But now, there was an end in sight, a way to conquer this beast.

After gruesome battles, losing hundreds and thousands of warriors to Her greedy magic, and nearly dying himself, the First War was about to be decided.

Headless and deprived of _Her_ strength, the great Empress stumbled away from Nardal and his men and he couldn’t believe they had come so far.

“Follow _Her_ !” he screamed, holding the reigns of his dragon-horse to keep her from descending. She wasn’t afraid of the beast like most of the other dragon-horses were, but Nardal needed to stay in the air to be out of reach of the tentacles. “Don’t let _Her_ regain _Her_ powers again!” Behind him, his men rushed forward, their dragon-horses descending like eagles and the war cry of every soldier echoing over the field.

WEAPON flew above Nardal, a gust of hot wind howling over the remains of the battlefield. The dragon opened its mouth and let out a ground-shattering roar - and behind _Her_ , the ground opened up, rocking the earth and the soldiers had a hard time staying on their feet.

Nardal’s eyes were on General Cadoc and his army and he raised his hand to command fire to the squadron of archers.

A swarm of arrows reigned upon _Lilith_ and _Her_ remaining demons while tendrils of glowing blue Essence reached up to catch _Her,_ pulling _Her_ backward. Nardal flinched at the angry roar that filled the plains and with a last effort, _Lilith_ ’s tentacles shot up, catching hold of General Cadoc, dozens of archers, and foot soldiers, and pulling them with _Her_ , into the abyss. 

“No!” Nardal screamed, descending from the sky like a falling eagle but it was too late.

Blue Fire shot from the bottom of the abyss, wandering high into the air before dying down again. The ground closed with a rumbling roar.

Stumbling, Nardal’s dragon-horse landed on the ground and the King stared at the place where the ground had opened seconds before.

They had won. The _Empress_ was defeated, encased in Terra’s heart to sleep forever - but at which price?


	2. Part I, Prologue Chapter: Hyunjin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone saw him as the Master Soldier. As the face of the Army, the face of countless advertisements. Flawless, powerful, skilled, flirty, cruel.
> 
> Would they be surprised to see that he was human as they were?
> 
> (Okay, technically, he wasn't, since he was half-demon. But... details.)
> 
> No one knew about who the Government was hiding. Who they were experimenting on. They took his wings, they changed him - and Hyunjin longed for nothing more than to free him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Welcome back to everyone who has found here again :D I promise you're not going to regret it.
> 
> Have sum fun with the new chapter - please tell me what you think! I'm very curious 😊
> 
> I hope everyone is doing alright <3 sending out much love xx

_Master Soldier Hyunjin._

_I didn’t know if I could trust him. I still don’t know. He had seemed sincere and eventually, the others believed his words, but... I had read enough about the crimes he had committed, about the ’glory’ he had brought to the Government as the face of its Army. It is said that the elves of the Kimura tribe thought he was an angel before he slaughtered them all. All in the name of that bastard Kurosawa. What could convince someone like him to change?_

***

_2 9 / 0 4 / 2 0 8 7 ; 5 : 2 0 p m_

_Kurosawa Tower - Inner Circle, Segment 1_

The walls of the Kurosawa Tower never held Hyunjin for long.

Stepping out on the rainy streets of Neo Liberta, Hyunjin pulled the hood of his jacket over his head. A few blond strands escaped his ponytail and curled in front of his face, before long, slim fingers swept them back under the hood.

The only people on the opulent plaza in front of the Tower were tired business-people, rushing by and hidden under their huge umbrellas, and students too young to be working inside the Tower. Hyunjin glanced around before he burrowed his hands in his pockets and started walking, taking turns that led him further into the streets of the Segments of the Inner Circle.

Neon billboards lined the skyscrapers that almost covered up the grey evening sky. They shone brightly purple, blue, and green above his head and from left and right, his own face stared back at him with a bright smile to convince customers to buy the latest trends in fashion and lifestyle. Brightly lit signs lured tired customers into restaurants, hotels, and bars, promising a night away from the stress of a city that was packed with too many people. A blanket of noise covered the streets: the everpresent sound of transporters, motorbikes and hovering cars, music from whatever shop Hyunjin was closest to, and the steady rise and fall of the masses of human and demon citizens.

Hyunjin lowered his gaze and dodged people left and right without looking up, pulling his mask higher over his nose. Today, he had enough of getting recognized as _Master Soldier_ Hyunjin. Too much time had passed since he had allowed himself to be _Hyunjin_.

The garage with the hoverbikes was well hidden, only accessible through a worn down, wide gate between two taller buildings. Hyunjin ducked into the small entrance next to the gate and walked over the small yard towards the low building. The two tall houses covering the entrance of the garage were rather narrow, leaving a lot of free space behind it to make space for a multiple-story building that reached deep into the ground.

Two guards were sitting at the other end of the yard, in front of the door that led into the main garage building. They were talking to each other but stopped and one of them stood once they caught sight of Hyunjin coming closer. The guard grinned, tipping his goggles in a salute. “Evening, sir. Here to take a round?”

Hyunjin nodded and placed a few wads of money on the table. He took a step back as the second guard, armed with a rifle and a red bandana around his lower face, stood, sniffing and rubbing at his nose. “Would’ya follow me. She’s in the same place as always.”

Hyunjin smiled to himself and followed the guard inside, through rows and rows of hoverbikes, motorbikes, and racing cars. The ground was matted dirt, the light of the city didn’t reach inside and since the building had no electricity, it was almost pitch black.

What luck that Hyunjin’s enhanced eyes had no problems seeing in the dark.

“Here ya go,” the guard said and stopped in front of one of the hoverbikes. “She’s all yours. Ya know the rules - just bring her back by the end of the night.”

Hyunjin glanced at the guard and nodded, grateful that they didn’t seem to have recognized him until now, grateful that they didn’t ask questions even though they could have been members of the Rebellion for all he knew.

But no, the Rebellion wouldn’t be so stupid to operate so close to the Tower.

After the guard had disappeared around a corner, Hyunjin pulled the helmet from the compartment underneath the seat. His bike was sleek, all long and curved lines, its color a dirt-matted black. It reacted extraordinarily fast to a movement of his wrist, allowing for sharp turns in narrow streets and racing up the steepest hills without losing speed.

In other words, it was perfect.

The guards were holding the gate open. He mounted the bike, powered it up, and drove out of the garage onto the streets, drawing a flurry of raindrops and shouted curses from other pedestrians and drivers behind him.

Weaving through the evening traffic onto the main highway wasn’t difficult though he could hear several drivers cursing him out for cutting off their way. But Hyunjin only laughed, the sound drowning in the noise of the highway.

The main highway was bustling with the evening rush-hour, all six lanes filled with hovering cars and cargo transports. The occasional electric car was driving in between them and Hyunjin could see a lot more bikers, hoverbikes, and regular motorcycles. 

He was forced to slow down again, there wasn’t much space left between the vehicles to weave through. His teeth ground around a growl and his fingers flexed around the handles of his bike in frustration. He itched to drive faster, let himself fly over the asphalt but first, he needed to get out of the city.

And that meant passing the control point - a passage in the Wall separating the Inner Circle from the Outer Circles that was being guarded by several infantry soldiers, each checking the pass that allowed a citizen to either leave or enter the Inner Circle without problems.

Hyunjin licked his dry lips. _Surely, the troops would recognize him and let him leave without asking for a pass?_ He could always say he was on a mission.

He let the hoverbike sink to the ground, putting a foot down to stabilize it. This could take a while - a while that got annoyingly longer with each second the cold rain decided to drench his clothes.

Hyunjin cracked his neck and knuckles and looked around.

In front of him stood an open transporter with a running engine, twice Hyunjin’s height and carrying the Government’s logo on its side. Several people - around ten that Hyunjin could see - sat on each side of the load area, faces turned to keep an eye out for the traffic around them. They wore their expression like a mask, carefully blank and unmoving. Their grey and silver clothing was drenched by the rain, fitted pants, and jackets that reflected the bright sheen of the glaring billboards around them. 

One lifted their hands to push their long, drenched hair out of their face and now, Hyunjin could see their ears - pointed and slightly jagged, decorated with a small, silver glinting earring.

Hyunjin was looking at an Unbound transporter.

There were days when Hyunjin wished he wasn’t the powerful Master Soldier, the face of the Government’s Army. Because that could mean that he could say openly what he was thinking about the way Unbound were treated in the city - but like this?

He shook his head and forced himself to keep on looking straight, not upwards to the Unbound, heedless of the guilt that curled in his stomach. Whenever he encountered a group of them or saw them on his rides through the city, he felt helpless - and he hated that feeling. He knew he was responsible for what happened to them too, but-

The transporter started to move and Hyunjin ripped himself from his thoughts, powering his bike up to follow the slow but steady moving lane out of the Inner Circle.

Time to clear his head again. 

The contrast from leaving the Outer Circles of Neo Liberta and entering the conquered jungle was jarring - and that was an understatement.

Tall, grey buildings, apartments stacked upon each other, and streets reeking of the smell of fume and acidic Essence made way for a dense roof of leaves, trees growing too close to the street, and vines creeping through the underwood. The smell of fresh air, clear and free of the acidic Essence stench _,_ reached his senses and Hyunjin relaxed, letting his eyes stray from the street.

Animals were roaring over the engine of Hyunjin’s bike and his eyes detected movements in the underwood that seemed to be following him, at the same speed as his flying bike.

_Which tribe was hunting so close to the city? Since when were wood elves this fast?_

Hyunjin grit his teeth, gripping the handles faster. Not today. He wasn’t in the mood to seek someone to kill but he knew if he met a wood elf out in the wild today, he wouldn’t hesitate to fight. Even if he had missed taking his pistols with him.

Soon, the jungle opened again, the dense roof of leaves and trees tapering out into a dried-out, open savannah. The street was empty and the setting sun bathed the dried-out landscape in her fiery, lilac and orange glow, like flames wandering over the sky.

It took his breath away.

Hyunjin kicked the speed up again, letting adrenaline fill his racing thoughts until the feeling of riding the wind was all he could think about and the growling of the bike all he could hear. 

His head leaned back; unhinged, wild, carefree laughter fell from his lips.

_Finally._

It took an hour until he reached the edge of the snow-covered mountains. The street led him higher and higher and once he found a plateau with a satisfying view, he stopped, powering down the bike and putting a foot on the ground.

Slowly, he took off his helmet and grinned, staring off into the sunset. He was shaking, the kind of shaking that left him breathless with joy. Sometimes he wondered if he could get through the week without seeing a sunset like this.

Hyunjin walked to the edge of the street, sitting down where it cut off to fall about thirty meters down. Pulling off his hood and mask, Hyunjin untied his blond hair and shook it out, letting the wind card through it and letting out a half-sigh, half-moan. 

That felt amazing.

Sometimes he forgot what fresh air tasted like. Even if the filters in his apartment were powerful and thorough, they could only do so much to rid the air inside the Tower from the everpresent stench of Essence, fumes, and too much electricity.

Striking blue eyes opened under heavy lids and wandered westward, towards the savannah. He had only driven past this vast and wide area, at the edge of where it began.

Hyunjin’s fingers tightened around the edge he was holding on to, his thoughts drifting. 

It hadn’t always been so empty and deserted. The place where the Kingdom of Elves had once-

His thigh vibrated.

Slowly, Hyunjin fished his smartphone from his pocket, staring at the texts glaring at him.

_Your daily tests are overdue. As well as your shots._

_Hyunjin._

_I expect you in the laboratory - in an hour._

_There will be consequences if you are late._

Hyunjin closed his eyes and took three deep breaths; _slow and steady, don’t crush your phone, don’t throw it away_. Only once he had himself under control again did he put the device in his pocket without replying, putting on his helmet and mounting the bike with angry, fast movements.

The ride down the mountains and back to the city was far more sobering than his adrenaline-filled escape for the evening had been. He had hoped for a bit more time on his own, away from his duties and responsibilities… 

The thought of not going to Doctor Choi’s lab crossed his mind - but then he remembered what had happened the last time he had dared to stay away from when she told him to come. Hyunjin suppressed a shudder. No, he was _definitely_ better off doing what she wanted him to.

Sneaking back into the Tower after bringing the bike back to the garage was easy - the way into the laboratory on the lowest floor of the Tower… wasn’t.

Hyunjin curled his hands into fists in the pockets of his jacket. He had pulled down the hood of his jacket but left the mask on, hiding behind the long curtains of his open hair.

He walked past men and women in office wear, some troopers and tall, bulky demon soldiers that sneered down at him when they saw him. No one was walking in the same direction. 

Eventually, soldiers and office employees got replaced by scientists, men, and women in white coats, talking to each other in hushed voices and carrying clipboards and suitcases that looked uncomfortably sterile and official.

Hyunjin hated the laboratory floor.

The walls were white and sterile, the automatic sliding doors opening and closing without a sound. The signs on the walls that displayed the floor numbers and the laboratory numbers next to each door were either silver steel or white titan; it seemed way too professional, too new, and sterile for the bloody experiments Hyunjin knew were practiced here.

Swallowing down his disgust, he stopped in front of Laboratory II and punched the code into the number pad next to the metallic sliding doors. They opened without a sound. 

The people standing inside were waiting for him.

A small woman with a long, blond ponytail and a white, long laboratory coat briskly turned around at Hyunjin’s entrance, her bright eyes falling on him. Her lips pulled into a thin smile; she adjusted her glasses and straightened. “You’re late, Hyunjin.”

“Good evening to you too, Doctor Choi,” he said coldly, glancing at the other scientists and nodding at a woman with warm brown eyes and short black hair. Professor Lee, one of the kinder scientists, smiled back at him, pushing her hair back and adjusting the grip on her clipboard. Together with three other scientists - two men and another woman - she was waiting for instructions.

Doctor Choi Yujin waved her hand and crossed the room with four wide strides, stopping when she nearly was in his personal space to look up at him with a calculating, icy glare. She was half a head shorter than him but never failed to stare him down until he wanted to sink into the ground. “Where have you been? I expected you here half an hour ago.” Her eyes were cold, her face expressionless.

“I’ve been out in the city. A group of troops needed my support.” He held her gaze.

Her eyes narrowed, wandering over his drenched casual clothes. “So, did they? Must have been a particularly difficult patrol then.” A cold smile spread her lips. “Did they catch another group of wood elves?”

Silence, only broken up by the steady hum of the machines and equipment around them. The scientists exchanged uncomfortable gazes.

“Why did you want me here?” Hyunjin said instead of answering.

Doctor Choi’s smile disappeared and her lips twitched. Then, she drew back and gestured towards the padded examination table on the right side of the room that was covered with a new layer of paper towels. “Undress from the waist up and sit, come on,” Doctor Choi said when he wasn’t moving. She had turned around and was walking towards the other side of the room, taking one of the small carts and pulling it with her towards Hyunjin. Professor Lee followed her, picking up a small metal container that barely contained the blue, characteristic glow of Essence. 

Hyunjin did as he was told and let his eyes roam. 

At the back of the huge laboratory, there was a crackling energy barrier, separating the furthermost corner of the room from the big laboratory into a cell. Several instruments and machines were set up in front of it, more scientists sitting behind them and quietly talking to each other about monitoring reactions, pulse, and brainwaves.

And behind the energy barrier…

Hyunjin did a double-take. 

The elf inside - Subject F, like Doctor Choi had named him - was kneeling on the floor, silver-white chains around his wrists stretched his arms up and away from his body. His head was sunken to his chest, his thin body slouched over, the long white and black hair hiding his face from sight. Even from his place across the room, Hyunjin could see the wide black lines running down the center of his chest to his hips, the geometrical patterns that went almost up to his shoulders. Bruises were decorating his arms and legs, and Hyunjin couldn’t see the scars on his face but he knew they were there, around his marks.

And like every time Hyunjin saw him during the past six months, his chest twinged painfully in sympathy and helpless regret, anger. His hands curled into fists.

But last time he had been here… Last time the elf didn’t have wings made of steel. Hadn’t they been blue? Light blue and feathery, mighty, magnificent, like those of a huge bird?

Hyunjin looked at Doctor Choi, forcing a neutral tone in his voice. “What happened to the elf? He didn’t have these wings the last time I had to come here.”

Doctor Choi halted, her bright, cold eyes looking at Hyunjin. She shook her head with a clipped sigh. “Stop giving the subjects a gender, Hyunjin. I told you you shouldn’t get attached. But - if you must know-” She looked towards the elf and another grin split her lips, while a dreamy sigh escaped her and she relaxed marginally. Her fingers twitched around the syringe in her hand. 

“Isn’t it amazing? Our team finally managed to develop mechanical wings that are even stronger than those of such an old high elf.” She walked over to the energy barrier. “They’re as detailed as the old ones but ten times more deadly. The ‘feathers’ are sharp enough that one wing flap will take down seven troopers at once.” Hyunjin’s blood grew cold at the way her eyes were glinting behind the glasses when she looked back at him with a too-wide grin. “And well, we had to test them out somewhere, didn’t we? And we don’t exactly have enough demon soldiers to turn into test subjects, which is a pity. Anyway.” She motioned to the width of the wings, shown off by how they too were outstretched and held with multiple wires and chains. “They are big enough to carry any demon into battle, even the heaviest - so if the subject survives the transformation, nothing is hindering us from giving our soldiers wings too and they will be _invincible_.” 

Her eyes caught his gaze and her smile turned sweet as she walked back to his side. “If you’re going to behave and prove yourself to be the best, you’ll even get your own pair of wings. You might even be the first demon to test them out.”

Hyunjin scoffed even though his insides twisted in horror. He forced himself to not react much to what she said - because as tempting as the possible ability to fly was, he couldn’t get the price that others would have to pay out of his head. His eyes strayed towards the elf. “Please. I already am the best. There’s no need for me to prove it.”

_There was no need for that… That elf didn’t have to suffer like that._

Doctor Choi smiled, patting his cheek. “I know.”

She started injecting him the four syringes she had prepared, two in the crooks of his elbows, two into his sides, shortly above his hip joints.

He gritted his teeth, pressing his eyes close as the strong, ice-cold Essence started to course through his body. The acidic burn started soon after. 

Wait... 

“What was that?” he asked once she put the last syringe away, glaring at her through barely opened eyes and furrowed brows. The injected substance was burning and icy like dry ice and the feeling was making his head spin. “That wasn’t Essence-”

Doctor Choi watched him, smiling. “Nothing you should be worried about. It was Essence - but not the pure one you know. It’s _Lilith’s_ Essence.”

Hyunjin stiffened, straightening slowly. “ _Lilith_ as in… the Demon Empress?”

“In person. The Mother of all demons. As a way of finding out how _Her_ Essence connects with _Her_ descendants, you’re one of the first demons - or well, half-demons - to be injected with it. Sadly, humans had proven to not be stable enough to survive more than a few shots. Pity.” She shrugged. “The troopers could be much stronger if they weren’t so _sensitive._ We will continue the experiments with other demon officers if it proves to be successful.” 

Hyunjin’s blood boiled and his hands curled into fists again. But before he could start speaking, she straightened and wiped her hands, her voice taking on a business-like tone. “You will be getting two extra shots of _Her_ Essence throughout the next months and we will be monitoring how it will change you. Besides...” She turned and looked at the elf behind the energy barrier again. Her lips pulled into a dark smile and she turned to the other scientists, the two men who held a tray with another few syringes in it. “We shall see how it will change Subject F too.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened. “You will give him the same Essence too?!”

“Of course I will.” Doctor Choi walked towards the energy barrier and pressed a button. The red, crackling veil disappeared and the two men entered the cell, both kneeling next to the elf. One of them moved to the elf’s right arm, injecting the first syringe. Then came his neck, the left arm, and both sides of his hips. And the elf didn’t move except for a week, barely-there flinching.

 _That-_ Hyunjin couldn’t control his facial expression, horror, and twisted helplessness adding to the acidic cocktail of pain in his body.

Doctor Choi saw and smiled as she walked back calmly and continued tidying up her cart, handing the scientist behind her several items to lock away. “Why do you look so shocked, Hyunjin? Don’t tell me you were caring for the subject.” Her movements were slow, fluid, careful.

Hyunjin slowly turned his head towards her, opening his mouth to answer, but nothing wanted to come out. So he just schooled his face into a neutral expression again. “That- isn’t necessary,” he pressed out. “You already have me to test out the effects of _Lilith’s_ Essence. Why do you- torture him like this?”

“But darling, do I have to remind you that you aren’t elven?” She laughed like she was berating a child. “You will find out soon enough why it is important that we test out the effects of _Her_ Essence in any way possible.” She waved her hand, dismissing the issue. “Anyway. During the last weeks, we finally managed to extract all nature magic out of the subject. Once we find a way to compress it into a substance like Essence, we will be able to give it to another person.”

She turned towards him, a greedy glow in her eyes and laughter on her lips. “And oh, won’t that be a sight to see - my most precious subject, my Master Soldier, equipped with the magic and knowledge of the Prince of the High Court!” With a delighted laugh, Doctor Choi stepped into his space and cupped his burning and freezing face. Her bright eyes were blazing and hadn’t Hyunjin known for what she stood for or what she was doing, he might have called her pretty. But all he could see were the souls lost to her experiments, the price Neo Liberta paid for her ever-growing hunger and morbid curiosity.

Hyunjin took her cold hands and slowly removed them from his cheeks, fighting to not crush her fingers in anger or, worse, make her aware of how he had started to shake. The Essence was slowing his movements and he had troubles concentrating on his surroundings. “Why do you want me to have his magic?”

 _Prince of the High Court._ His hands started to tremble.

Never before had Hyunjin heard more details about who Subject F had once been before the Kurosawa-Government got their hands on him and hearing it now caused a whole other kind of sickness to turn his stomach around.

They had held the Prince of the high elves hostage. This was a… a declaration of war. Once the king would find out about this, there was no way they wouldn’t immediately attack Neo Liberta.

Doctor Choi’s grin widened even though her eye twitched in annoyance. She was too close. “Must I spell it out for you? Once you have all that magic in you, you _have control over nature itself._ Not to speak of the fact that you’ll know where the Kingdom of Elves has disappeared to.”

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes, sweat beading at his neck. “And that’s what the President wants, right?”

Doctor Choi clapped his cheeks, grinning. “You’re very smart, my dear Soldier - exactly.” She leaned closer, her voice sinking into a whisper. “And you know that we all better do what he wants from us.”

A soldier with Hyunjin’s rank was never seen walking with a less than military, graceful stride, or caught stumbling like he was drunk.

Perhaps that was why the few employees in the foyer looked at him with wide and surprised glances, a few turning towards each other and whispering behind raised hands.

His head was spinning with the aftereffects of both pure and tainted Essence, yet he still found the strength to glare back at who he caught staring even with the sweat beading on his forehead and at his neck. Behind the shadows of his drawn-up hood, the few office workers couldn’t see his face but he knew they could see the glow of his glare - enough to send everyone running.

It cost him enormous strength to stride through the nearly empty foyer towards the elevators, hands hidden in the pockets of his long black jacket, clenching into fists whenever a bout of dizziness wanted to force him to his knees. Stepping into the first elevator, he leaned against the shiny, mirrored wall and exhaled, bringing up shaking fingers to mess through his long hair and massage his temples. The Essence was now coursing through his entire body, freezing, and burning, and dissolving his veins from the inside out. It hurt like hell and he knew he needed a shower, a bed, and fifteen hours of sleep. Luckily, Professor Lee had told him quietly that he didn’t have any appointments until two days later.

Hyunjin stepped off the elevator once it reached the twentieth floor and slowly walked through the polished, warmly lit hallway, towards the elevators to the higher floors. His eyes squeezed shut and he bit his lip hard to stop himself from whimpering. _How was this Essence so different to the pure one, with such strong aftereffects?_

Normally, he would be confined to his bed for a few hours with a major cold and be fine the next day. Normally, taking his mandatory shots of Essence didn’t feel like something would try to dissolve his body with freezing and burning acid from the inside out.

Seven floors higher and a much too long hallway later, he reached his apartment, punching in the code with shaking fingers and stumbling inside. His knees gave out from under him and he collapsed to the floor, leaning against the metal sliding door and panting softly. He hissed out a curse, fingers clawing into the fabric over his stomach. He couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. Drawing a deep breath through his teeth, he tried to channel his focus on something other than the pain inside of him that made it so difficult to move and caused him to sweat and shiver with cold and heat.

Hesitant footsteps drew his attention and he startled at the sight of Soori appearing in the doorframe, his body, covered with a blanket, framed by the light coming from the living room.

Kim Soori was an infantry soldier in a platoon of the Army, though currently, he wasn’t partaking in any drills. He was resting, recovering from several Essence injections, at a much too young age of only seventeen. That was older than Hyunjin when he had gotten his first shots, but unlike Hyunjin who was half-demon, Soori was fully human and, as it turned out, highly sensitive to Essence.

Soori’s eyes widened and the blanket slipped from his shoulders as he stumbled to Hyunjin’s side. “Sir! What happened to you, oh my god, are you okay?!”

“Do I look like I’m okay?” Hyunjin grumbled, squeezing his eyes together and digging his teeth into his lower lip. 

He took hold of Soori’s offered hand and managed to stand - before another bout of dizziness together with a wave of ice-fire racing into his legs made him sway dangerously, the room tipping sideways-

“Careful!”

There was a body holding him upright and a grunt of exertion and Hyunjin pressed his eyes together, groaning. Sweat started to pearl at his hairline. It was too hot, too cold, and his nails itched to claw himself out of his body.

“I’m not sure if I even want to know the details…” Soori mumbled and slowly led Hyunjin into his bedroom, his touch on Hyunjin’s side too strong, the ice-fire collecting under his skin. The TV was running and despite the low volume, it was too loud for his heightened senses, grating on his frayed nerves. 

Hyunjin shook his head, coughing out a breathless laugh and trying not to stumble over his own feet. “No… believe me, you don’t.”

Soori didn’t answer and carefully laid him down on the wide bed in Hyunjin’s bedroom, running to press a button at the wall that turned off the motion-activated lights again. In a moment, he was back at Hyunjin’s side. “I’ll bring you something to drink and turn the TV off.” He smiled uncertainly. “It’ll probably be best if you sleep for a bit - you look… worse than usual.” At Hyunjin’s lifted eyebrow, he blushed and quickly left the room.

Hyunjin breathed out slowly, curling on his side and holding his stomach. He kept himself still, avoiding breathing too deeply because each movement caused his clothes to move over his skin and even that was too much. It was buzzing with ice-fire, dissolving like acid was running through his veins instead of blood. Hyunjin bit his lip until it bled, feeling shame for letting Soori see him like this. 

_He was the Master Soldier. He was ranked_ so much higher _than Soori - how could he let his guard down like this?_

Because strangely, Hyunjin felt like Soori was the only one to who he could show himself this vulnerable.

His whole life, others had told Hyunjin they knew what was best for him. They had made him stronger - first and foremost Professor Lee and Doctor Choi, turning him into a fighting machine. And while Hyunjin didn’t hate what he had become, there had been and still were moments he wished he could be free from being told what to do at each instance.

With Soori though… he knew he only wanted to help him, making sure that he didn’t overdo himself or taking care of him when his superiors once again pushed him too far. After what felt like years, he finally felt like he could accept the help the young soldier was offering him - though sometimes, the thoughts of _why_ he put himself so low to do that-

Hyunjin pressed his nails into his palms, gritting his teeth at the icy-hot pain.

Soori entered the room again a few seconds later, carrying a glass of water that he put on Hyunjin’s night table. He hesitated, hovering next to the bed, his wide eyes glinting with the reflection of the light from the living room. “Do you… do you want to get dressed into something more comfortable?”

Oh. Right. Maybe he should also get out of his boots.

Hyunjin peeked through his heavy eyelids and took in the way Soori was watching him with wide, concerned eyes. He was wearing wide, light blue pajamas, and his hair was still all messed up. Hyunjin wanted to ruffle through it. _That kid is too innocent for his own good._ Sometimes, Hyunjin wondered how he had even made it into the Army.

“I probably should.” With a groan, he heaved himself out of bed and stumbled to his wardrobe, blindly taking out the first pajamas that he got his fingers on. And even if it was silken, the softest material he owned, he already knew this night would be hell with how sensitive his body was, with how everything was hurting. His head was spinning, his vision blurring. Catching Soori’s wide-eyed gaze, he tried to smile even if his insides felt like they were twisting themselves around each other. He was sweating again. A shower would surely help to make him feel better… if he had the strength to stand for longer than a few minutes. “I’m okay, thank you, Soori. I’ll go to sleep - you should too, it’s late anyway.”

“But…” Soori hesitated, narrowing his eyes before sighing and standing straight with a brief salute. “Goodnight, then.”

Hyunjin let himself sink to his bed after the door had closed behind Soori and put his hands over his face. Had it really been that good of an idea to let Soori recover _here_? In an apartment with him, the _Master Soldier_? When Soori had such a problem discarding their ranks when they were alone?

Changing as quickly as possible, he soon curled up under his blankets, breathing deeply to try and distribute the pain and distract himself from the freezing burn in his muscles and veins. Sleep wouldn’t come so easy though and his thoughts were left to wonder.

Hyunjin no longer held any hate against elves. Yes, he had fought in the War that had resulted in the Kingdom of Elves hiding away in another dimension, but lately… Ever since he had gotten Soori out of the laboratory where Doctor Choi had experimented on him, his doubts about the methods of the science department had been rising. Not to speak of his resentment against the President, Kurosawa himself. That man was a fat pig who didn’t deserve to be running the city - next to the fact that he was making Hyunjin hugely uncomfortable whenever he had to attend meetings that involved the President’s presence. 

And finding out that their only elven Subject had once been the _Prince of the High Court_ … 

No, that wasn’t right. 

How come Hyunjin hadn’t known about this small, little fact? When the elf had been here for almost a year… His hold on his duvet tightened and pain unrelated to the strange injections spread through his chest. 

The Prince was young. Or at least he looked young. Of course, that could be deceiving because high elves aged differently than demons, Unbound, or humans - and still. the Prince looked too young to already have blackened marks and such intricate patterns on his chest, too young to fall into the hands of Doctor Choi and her team, too young to already carry such horrible scars on his body, too young to have his wings taken away from him.

They had been magnificent: huge in width, touching the walls of the laboratory where they had been spread out, shimmering feathers in all shades of the sky and the downy feathers close to his shoulder blades had been a stark, pure white. And now, those beautiful elven wings had been replaced by metal ones. Shimmering silver and more intricate than Hyunjin could have ever imagined mechanical wings to look like, they were a sight to behold, but that didn’t change that they looked so… so _wrong_ from where they were protruding from the elf’s back.

And...there was something else. Something was pulling him towards the elf, he wanted to visit him again, know more about him. Maybe also… free him.

_He’s mine._

Hyunjin opened his eyes and stared at his hands, took in how hard they were trembling, how the ice-fire continued to burn its way under his skin. He wondered what other effects that new Essence would have. How would he… _connect_ with _Lilith_ , the Mother of all demons? Would the extra shots cause his demon side to become stronger, turn him into a full-blooded demon eventually?

He shook his head and curled up into a ball, trying to silence his too loud brain.


	3. Part I, Chapter I: Welcome to 'Haven'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan's dream had come true when he opened 'Haven', a popular café in the second Segment of the Inner Circle. The best location for a coffee shop.  
> He had always been wary towards people who worked for the Government - not only because Alex, his protégé, was technically too young to be working for him, but also because of the omnipresence of the Army in the streets.  
> When Seungmin comes barging into the café, on the run from soldiers, Chan has to think fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloo everyone!  
> New chapter exactly a week after the last one - let's see how long I'll be able to keep this schedule xD  
> This story still seems to get going only very slowly, regarding hits, and such... I get it though, it's long, the plot needs to build, it's basically like reading a fantasy book. 
> 
> Btw, I'm not sure if I wrote this at the beginning of the story, so just to make sure: the depictions of the relationships between the characters are NOT based on their irl relationships. So, for example, between two characters, there might be an enemy-enemy relationship or a toxic one where one mind-controls the other. Ik this is nothing like it is irl - but tbh, the characters might not resemble their irl selves either way. I took their names and a few of their characteristics, but the rest is my imagination.
> 
> Oh, TW for this chapter: flashbacks to a traumatic event and a panic attack.
> 
> be safe everyone! I hope you will still continue reading and that you kind of enjoy what I'm cooking up here :D love you all! xxxx

_Anyway. I should start from the beginning._

_Sometimes, I still wonder how Chan manages to keep his open heart, his readiness to help other people no matter what they need; even in an environment like Neo Liberta, a city where everyone could be your enemy, where everything people - no matter if they’re human or demon - ever want is to get on Kurosawa’s good side, to please the people in the Government so they would be able to live in the Inner Circle. Nobody wants to live in Neo Liberta’s slums, the Outer Circles. After all, it’s where the Unbound live._

_***_

_0 4 / 0 6 / 2 0 8 7 ; 2 : 1 5 p m_

_Coffeeshop ‘Haven’ - Inner Circle, Segment 2_

With ‘Haven’, Chan had created an oasis of comfort in an ocean of metal and technology.

The day’s rush of customers had dwindled to a few students and businessmen and women in dark suits. Eventually, the last student left the café and the seating area quieted down, safe for the barely audible whirring of the fan at the ceiling.

Bang Chan yawned, stretching his arms over his head and taking a tired glance around his spacious yet homely café. He had been swiping down the tables, rearranging the chairs and tidying up, quietly humming alongside the quiet, warm music that floated from the hidden speakers. It was soft enough to relax any stressed being searching for something warm or strong to drink and even though the light of the rare sunny day didn’t reach the inside of the café, the atmosphere was friendly and comfortable. Maybe that was what made ‘Haven’ so special - when entering, hearing the small bell chime its cheerful melody that announced another customer, it was like stepping into another world. As if the presence of technology, bright neon billboards, silver steel, and the stench of Essence, fumes, and too many people had never made it inside the café’s four walls.

The orange walls were covered with posters and landscape paintings; soft, warm fabrics covered the chairs made of old, used wood and the warm shimmering tabletops were scratched with the remains of too many students spending their days and evenings over coffee and sweets. Placed in the corners of the café, by the big windows next to the entrance door, were a few armchairs and sofas, grouped around several, low coffee tables. Those were often taken by either some students that chose to spend their day of learning inside the café, whisper-talking with each other over their coffees - or by governmental business people who sat alone with their black coffee and spoke into their phones while typing away at their laptops. Chan always watched any customers from the Tower with mixed feelings while he was cleaning up behind the counter. Whenever they had guests like that, he sent Alex into the kitchen, away from them even though logically, he knew business people like this couldn’t do anything to Alex - why would they care that he technically was too young to be working in the café? 

Chan swayed on his feet after straightening from bending over one of the bigger tables and he pressed his eyes shut, biting his lip until his ears stopped ringing. He should take a nap; the night had been short and restless and sharp pain was pounding through his head since he had left his bed in the morning.

“Did you even manage to sleep last night?”

He looked up and dried his hands at the coffee-brown apron he was wearing, holding back another yawn. “I’ll let you guess.”

Alex was coming out from the break room, tying his apron around his waist His mouth set into a tight line as he looked Chan up and down and he sighed, pulling a hair-tie from his wrist to tie his long, black hair into a ponytail. He leaned against the counter and huffed. “And I’m guessing from how you’re swaying each time you’re standing up from a bowed position: not much. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Chan laughed, tugging a hand through his unruly hair and putting the rag into the pocket of his apron. “Yeah, no… I was about to ask you if you could man the register for half an hour or so in case another customer comes in. I’ll just-”, he lifted his hand to block the next yawn, “-I’ll… take a power-nap in the break room. I feel like I’ll fall asleep standing otherwise.”

Alex huffed out a dry chuckle. Still, the worried lines around his eyes didn’t disappear. “Maybe you should call it a day earlier today… business is slow either way.” He glanced outside through the wide windows.

“Hm. We’ll see - I’m sure I’ll be fine after a nap.” Chan took off his apron and ruffled Alex’s hair, his mouth twitching at the indignant “Hey!” that followed him as he walked into the windowless room behind the kitchen that they used as their break room. The dimmable lights were on their lowest setting, just bright enough so one could find their way around without bumping into anything but darkened enough that Chan could fall asleep without problems.

He softly closed the door behind him and sighed, falling on the bright red sofa that stood in the middle of the room and only left space for a few chairs, two lockers, and a few small shelves. Tired eyes stared at the shelves, at the framed picture of the day when Chan agreed to let Alex work with him until he was old enough to leave the orphanage and live on his own. Several books that Alex brought from the orphanage stood next to it, as well as little presents from the half-unbound children from his Segment and multiple books about the history of wood and high elves that Chan read whenever he had the opportunity to.

He yawned and closed his eyes, exhaustion softening the muscles in his body.

_Finally, some rest..._

It couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes when the loud jingle of the doorbell and Alex’s agitated voice ripped him from his drowsy sleep again.

“Hey, wait! You can’t just simply run- that’s no- hey, what the hell!!” 

There went his last possibility of getting rest.

_Was a nap that much to ask for?_

Chan sighed and got up quickly - and promptly gripped the back of the chair next to the sofa to not fall to the floor. He ground his teeth and took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes and swiftly walking out of the break room towards the counter and- oh.

_Huh?_

Someone was crouching under the long counter, curled up into a tight ball at the end that was farthest away from the entrance door. It looked to be someone small, their dirty shoes were visible even in the dark. The thin legs were shaking.

Chan’s frown deepened. He glanced towards Alex who stared at the vaguely human-shaped lump, expression torn between incredulous and shocked.

 _He didn’t sleep enough for this._ “What happened here?”

The doorbell rang again sharply.

Both Alex and Chan flinched at seeing two infantry soldiers enter the café, rifles raised and humming with electricity. One was missing his helmet, his face red and his brows furrowed in a furious scowl. He was panting, out of breath like he just chased someone for a far too long time. They both stopped short at meeting Chan’s gaze and the soldier without helmet lowered his rifle a tad. He gave a sign to the other colleague and marched up to the counter.

Chan straightened. Good, well then. He could deal with angry soldiers. He could do this.

“Good evening, sirs,” Chan said, his voice piercing through the tense silence. “May I ask why you come into my café, weapons drawn and charged?”

“We have seen the criminal we were chasing entering here.” The soldier glanced towards Alex and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You don’t happen to know where he hides, Mister Bang?”

_We know he’s here. We’re giving you a chance to confirm it before we find him ourselves._

“There was no one entering here, sir.” Chan’s heart was pounding. _This guy was being chased by the Army?? A criminal?_

_No, that was barely a kid._

He smiled through his racing thoughts. “May I ask you to leave? You’re lucky I don’t have customers right now or else there would have been consequences - my café is a place of peace. I _hate_ it when people come in here with their drawn weapons. Plus, you have no right of searching through this place like this.”

The soldier’s eyebrow raised, his expression darkening.

Alex stiffened, his hands balling to fists under the counter. 

“Is that so? Well, as popular as your café might be, Mister Bang, I can tell you there will be consequences for _you_ for hiding a high-level Rebel from the Army. It will be counted as an act of treason and we will have to ask you to come with us too if we find him here.”

Chan pressed his lips together, eyes glinting dangerously. His hands started to sweat. “Which you won’t because there is no one to find. Now, would you please leave my café?”

Second after tense second passed with the two staring at each other.

“Nothing here, sir,” the helmeted soldier declared, walking towards the counter with heavy steps. “He must have escaped somewhere else.” He sounded bored, and more than a little frustrated.

The other soldier nodded courtly, eyes flitting towards Alex. “Several of my men already have you under suspicion for employing someone who’s much too young to be working here.”

Chan bristled, hands twitching. “There’s not an issue with my employee. Besides, that is not why you’re here.”

An unsettling smile. “Right. Be careful, Mister Bang - you’re under supervision.”

Both soldiers turned around and left the café without another word.

Seconds ran by until Chan couldn’t see them through the windows anymore - only then did he allow himself to release the tense breath he had been holding and slump against the wooden counter. Adrenaline was racing through his veins and his hands were trembling, his head pounding aggressively.

_That… that was far too close._

Next to him, a huffed gasp was released and the steps of Alex’s sneakers came closer. “What… Chan, why the hell did you do that?? If that- if he’s really such a high-risk criminal and- and we’re already under supervision-”

Chan hushed him and turned his head. “Did that ‘criminal’ look so dangerous to you? You saw him running in here.”

Alex paused, nibbling on his fingernail. With wide eyes, he stared out of the window. “No… he looked… like he was barely older than me.”

“See.” With a smile, Chan straightened and placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “And I’m not handing someone that young out to the Army.” He glanced towards the glass front, mouth setting into a frown. “Now… Do me a favor and close up, please.” 

_I have a feeling we won’t be getting customers today anymore._

Alex opened his mouth but closed it again without saying anything and nodded with a tight expression, swiftly jumping over the counter, his steps quiet. On his way to the front door, he started picking up some of the overturned chairs and tables.

The soft music still dripping from the speakers grated on Chan’s frayed nerves. But rest had to wait - there was someone else to be taken care of first.

With a deep breath, he moved to where he had seen the man - boy? - hide and crouched down. The shadows below the counter were deep but Chan could see something glinting… something red. The boy held something in his hands, his whole body curled around it in a protective position. His legs were trembling and Chan could tell that he was trying hard to not make any sound.

“Hey,” he said softly. “The soldiers are gone now, don’t you want to come out?”

A hooded head turned towards him and Chan stiffened. 

The metal at the side of the boy’s face was hidden still, but his right eye glowed enough for Chan to see it. 

“Are… is it safe here?” the boy asked, his voice shaking, rough, and small. The mechanical eye’s glow intensified, _blinking_ once with a metallic eyelid.

“Yes.” He smiled, stretching out a hand. “I’m Bang Chan, the owner of this café. The other guy you probably saw when coming in, is Alex, he helps me around here.”

The boy glanced behind Chan and then at his hand, hesitating. He didn’t give up his curled-up position, made no move to take Chan’s hand. 

A few seconds passed.

“Alex is closing the shop now so no one can look inside. No one will see you from outside, believe me. It’s safe to come out.”

The boy looked at him, his body still too tight. Finally, the sound of chairs scraping over the wooden floor seemed to snap him out of his reverie and he uncurled slowly, revealing the item he was holding on to as a silver laptop.

Chan scooted backward and stood, watching the boy do the same.

The boy carefully placed the laptop on the counter and dusted off his clothes - a black, wide hoodie, dark blue, well-fitting jeans, and black sneakers that were grey with dust and dirt. Turning towards Chan, he bowed, his hood hiding his face from view.

“Thank you for not revealing me.” His voice had calmed down again, not as shaky as before and showing the quiet, soft tone of someone who wasn't used to speaking loudly. He even attempted a little smile, glancing at his laptop and his right hand clasped around his other wrist. “But now I really should leave again…this… wasn’t planned.” His face twisted into a grimace.

Chan glanced towards Alex who came back after closing the blinds of the huge windows and locking the door. Now, only the four overhead lights brightened the inside of the café.

“There are still a lot of soldiers outside, down the streets,” Alex said quietly, frowning. 

The boy looked at him and his body tensed up again.

“Seems like they’re searching for you. Do you think it’s a good idea to go out when the security’s that high?” Alex took off his apron and jumped behind the counter again, making the boy take a small, stumbling step back and Chan roll his eyes.

"Quit showing off," Chan told him without any real heat. Alex stuck out his tongue at him. 

“I…” The boy looked between Chan and Alex, brows furrowed and hands raised like he had wanted to protect himself but gave up halfway into raising his arms. 

If Chan looked closely, he could see him shaking, trembling. His breathing was stuttering, too nervous to not be a sign of _too much._

“Look,” he started and took a step forward, voice calm and soothing. “How about you stay here for a bit and come up into my apartment and I’ll get us some leftover pastries from the kitchen? Just until it’s safe for you to leave?”

The boy perked up at the mention of pastries, relaxing slightly. “Yes! Uh… I mean... “ He looked away quickly at the look Alex was giving him and coughed. His hand clasped around his left wrist again. “That… sounds great. I’ve… heard a lot of good words on the pastries of- here.”

Chan lifted an eyebrow and chuckled. “So you know about the café?” He motioned for the two boys to follow him and walked into the kitchen, quickly collecting the pastries that still had been in the oven and turning all the machines off. He told Alex to get his bag from the break room.

The boy rubbed at his arm, glancing down. He stood in the entrance of the kitchen, laptop under his arm and hood still over his head. “Uh… yeah, kind of. There’s… a lot of good reviews online.”

With a box of various baked goods, Chan walked back to the boy, taking off his apron and hanging it to the kitchen door. “Well, that’s amazing!” He smiled, his chest warming like it always did when people praised his work. “I love to see people coming here because they’ve read good reviews about my goods.”

The boy smiled hesitantly and on the way upstairs, he kept glancing behind his shoulder towards Chan who was walking behind him. Was he expecting something from him?

Chan’s apartment was nothing much but he liked to call it ‘cozy’ - a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, Chan’s bedroom, and a guest room. Enough and almost too big for Chan alone but because Alex stayed over ever so often, space didn’t feel so big most of the time.

“Okay. I’ll get us something to drink and you guys can sit in the living room, alright?” Chan yawned and walked towards the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable!”

Opening the fridge, he listened to the steps of the two boys, stopping when the boy started to speak, quiet but urgent, hesitant. “Why are you doing this?” 

“What do you mean?” The sound of ruffling pillows and Alex sighed as he let himself sink to the sofa. “Helping you? Not telling the soldiers that you were here even though they said you’re a criminal?”

A few seconds passed before the boy answered and restless steps echoed into the kitchen. “And what if that’s true? What if I’m a Rebel? What if I’m part of an organization that’s so against the Government? Oh God, where did I land here-”

“Hey, hey, no, don’t panic.” Alex’s voice had turned serious and firm. “I’ll tell you one thing now: you may be a Rebel. And? That’s not a reason for Chan to send someone so young to their sure death. That’s not who he is.”

The steps stopped and Chan was sure that it was the boy who had been pacing around. “And what _would_ be a reason? You-” He broke off and Chan held his breath.

“We don’t work for the Government if that’s what you want to ask,” Alex said quietly.

“Then why-?”

“Anyone who comes in here and seeks help will get what they need. Hey, hey, no, it’s okay - and believe me, even if the Army is searching for you and even if I’m still a bit- skeptical, we won’t reveal you.”

Grabbing two cans of soda, Chan quickly prepared a plate with his pastries and made his way into the living room.

Alex was sitting on the sofa, his young face tense, serious. The boy was standing on the other side of the coffee table, hands pulling the sleeves of his sweater over his hands. His head turned towards Chan; he had taken off his hood.

Chan nearly let the goods he was holding drop to the floor.

The area around the boy’s right eye, reaching up to the top of his head was made of silver-glinting steel, the mechanical eye glowing a warm red. Wine-red hair covered the rest of his head, long enough to reach over his eyebrows. His features were soft, his lips gentle but tight and the wrinkles around his left eye made Chan think that this boy had already seen far too many horrible things for how young he seemed to be. His ears were round; he was human.

Slowly walking over, Chan offered the two cans to the two boys, carefully setting the plate down on the coffee table and sitting in the armchair next to the sofa, putting on a careful smile to cover up how much the appearance of the boy had shocked him. “Why don’t you sit down too?”

The boy sighed and looked down, walking towards the sofa and sitting carefully. His body was strung tight, like a chord ready to snap. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t doubt people who are so ready to help me and- I guess… I don’t know how much I can tell you, but I think I should tell you some things because you were so nice to me. I don’t like leaving kindness unrepaid.” He glanced at Chan, relaxing after seeing him nod slowly. “I’m Seungmin, I’m- I _was_ on a mission. Normally, I don’t walk around in the Inner Circle - actually, I have to go back to the North Segment but…” He bit his lip, breaking off.

Chan leaned forward, gently pushing the plate with the pastries towards Seungmin. “Don’t worry.” He smiled. “I mean what I said. Not a word you say here will leave this house let alone get through to any member of the Army or the Government.”

Seungmin looked between him and Alex, chewing on his lip. His hands fiddled with the sleeves of his sweater and only now did Chan realize that there was something off about his right hand. The fingers were… much longer than on the other hand. Much more slender. And the hand was gloved.

Catching his gaze, Seungmin breathed out slowly and lifted his hand, sliding off the glove.

Both Alex and Chan let out a startled gasp. 

The fingers were slim and intricate, dark and shining like polished glass. “My whole arm is made out of metal,” Seungmin whispered, metal clicking softly when he curled his hand to a fist. “An Unbound made it for me, together with my eye. They saved my life."

“The Government… ?” Chan exchanged a glance with Alex, seeing regret, awe, pity, and suspicion wage war on his face.

_What had happened to Seungmin that not only his eye but also one of his limbs had to be replaced by prostheses?_

Seungmin stared into the nothing and didn’t answer. With a side glance at Chan, he eventually continued. “I… I was at a demonstration - half-elves, Unbound, and humans protested peacefully for laws that would protect Unbound. And… then the Army arrived… there were so many people standing there and watching as the protestors walked by... “ He drew in a shuddering breath. “And… and they shut it down. They were… they were shooting at people! And then, there was a grenade and-” 

Seungmin broke off, a hacked breath like a sob ripping from his chest and Chan couldn’t move. 

He should have never asked, _of course, those were painful memories, one just doesn’t talk about such a traumatic event!_ He swallowed and raised his hand slowly, wanting to touch Seungmin but also not knowing if he was allowed. “Hey… Seungmin. It’s okay… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have asked.”

Alex too leaned forward carefully.

Seungmin didn’t move for several tense seconds, teeth digging into his lower lip, his eyes squeezed shut and metal fingers gripping the left underarm so tight that Chan worried he would soon hear the sound of bones grinding against each other.

Then, his eyes fluttered open, and jumped through the room.

Chan smiled, relaxing a bit. “Hey… are you with us?”

Seungmin’s flesh eye flickered to him and then to Alex and his lips opened and closed but no sound came out.

Still, Chan’s voice continued, calm and steady. “You’re in my apartment - you're safe here."

A deep tremble ran through Seungmin's body but he didn't move otherwise, his chest standing still and his eyes fixed on Chan and Chan was getting worried. 

_He wasn’t breathing._

"Seungmin." He sat up straighter. "Can you try to take a deep breath for me?" Glancing over at a paling Alex, he mouthed _go get a blanket_. 

Grateful, Alex nodded and quickly left the room. 

Seungmin's eye followed, still widened and frightened. 

"Seungmin, hey." 

The eye snapped back to Chan. A shuddering breath rasped through the living room, the mechanical eye opened again, and Chan smiled, relieved. 

"That's good. Follow my example, okay?" He drew in a breath, slowly and deeply so Seungmin would be able to see, then, he held his breath, waiting for Seungmin to follow before he exhaled just as slowly. 

Gradually, the tight grip of Seungmin's metal fingers on his left arm lessened.

"Good, just like that. You're doing so well, Seungmin. Another breath, you're almost there." Chan kept his voice low, soothing. 

Until finally, Seungmin's eye fluttered close and he slumped back into a boneless heap. Sweat pearled on his hairline, his right hand slid down to lay next to him. 

"Hey." Chan smiled through the clump of guilt in his chest. "Are you with me again?" 

The mechanical eye blinked, the glow lessening again and Seungmin nodded wordlessly. 

"Do you want me to stay here for a bit longer or do you want to sleep? Alex will bring you a blanket and then you can sleep here."

He barely finished speaking when light steps entered the living room again and Alex appeared in his field of vision, carrying a soft grey blanket. He smiled carefully as Seungmin's eye cracked open to look at him. "Here - this is like… the softest blanket Chan owns." Slowly, he placed the folded blanket on the sofa next to Seungmin. 

"Thank you," Seungmin said hoarsely, lowering his gaze. He almost seemed embarrassed. Like he regretted telling them what he did. Or that they saw him like this.

_Makes kind of sense - he doesn't know you at all._

Chan chewed on his lip and stood, turning one of the soda cans around in his hands. "Okay so uh… If you want to sleep… I understand that and we'll leave you for it then. Have a good night. We get up very early to open the café - we try to not wake you but in case we do… you're welcome to stay as long as you like to. And you can help yourself to anything in the fridge if you're hungry."

He turned away to leave the room but Seungmin's quiet voice stopped him again. 

"Why?"

Chan turned again, his brows furrowing. 

"You…" Seungmin sighed. "You say you won't turn away criminals - or hand them over to the Army. But… Your café still serves the Government people your food. You live close to the Tower." His mechanical eye intensified its glow, his brows furrowed. "Do you support what they're doing? How Kurosawa is treating his city residents?" Seungmin's exhausted hard gaze stayed trained on him and it was frightening. 

Chan stood, bewildered before he shook his head. "No. I don't support violence - in any form. I will help whoever is in need and enters this café, no matter who they are." 

Seungmin scoffed and curled his legs up in front of him. His face pulled into a grimace. "You know yourself that that's not enough. Whoever isn't against the Government is for them. They thrive on people not being openly against what they're doing - simply because no ordinary citizen has the guts to say something against the way Unbound and elves are treated. They are all just too-" He stopped, face twisting in fierce anger and his metal hand clenching into a fist. 

Shaking his head, Seungmin turned away from a shocked Chan, his energy seeping out of him again and leaving his voice a barely-there whisper. "I'll leave early in the morning… I'm sorry for bothering you."

Chan swallowed with a nod and pulled Alex with him as he left the living room towards their bedrooms.

**Author's Note:**

> How did you like it? If you want to, you can hit me up on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/loner_goner) to talk about Stray Kids and music in general! <3


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